Here in northern Virginia it hit 104 degrees on Saturday, so I was looking for something to cool me down. I put some thought into it and was reminded of Russ’ post from The Beer Circle’s Eastern PA Brewery Tour about Tröegs “Floated” Java Head Stout. When we were at the brewery, I was tempted to try Nugget Nectar floated but I figured that being able to drive with a clear head was more important so I passed on the opportunity.

Fast forward to Saturday when I decided to experiment with different “floating” options in an IPA. After asking around I gathered my ingredients: Sixpoint‘s Resin, orange sherbet, and lemon sorbet. I know that people around the world think that the experiments that discovered the Higg’s Boson are more important but I would have to argue that this experiment could have more impact on the lives of everyday beer drinkers. Paige Deckert reviewed the experiment’s control variable previously.

Ingredients for my experiment

I do have to apologize for the lack of additional pictures. My phone decided that the picture of the finished floats were too “tasty” to process.

Now onto the results…

Appearance:

Both beers reacted with the catalyst of choice to produce huge bubbly heads. The head with the orange sherbet was more “sea-foamy” than the lemon sorbet.

The color of the orange sherbet beer was a hazy bronze while the one with the lemon was hazy, too, but also was a bit lighter. A Resin by itself pours a hazy amber color so I would have to say that the lemon affected the color the most.

Decision: Tie

Aroma:

The predominant aroma from both floats was the ice cream that was used in each glass. The creaminess from the ice creams were imparted into the aroma; a lasting sweetness that overcame pretty much everything else. However, there was a slight pine finish with the lemon sorbet Resin that came through. The orange sherbet aroma overpowered everything else.

Decision: Lemon Sorbet

Taste:

The taste of the orange sherbet Resin was mostly sherbet with a slight layering of a citrus/pine hop taste on top. However, the orange was so overpowering that the base Resin taste was hard to discern.

The lemon sorbet, while imparting a mostly lemony flavor, let more of the base Resin taste through. I found that it coated the tongue much better and I had much more time to discern the different tastes of the float.

Decision: Lemon Sorbet

Summary:

I would give the decision to the lemon sorbet because it was a much more lively taste. While both are great on a hot day I would go for the lemon every time because of the lemon tartness. Overall, I would give the nod to a stout over an IPA but this was fun none-the-less.

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Written by Bob Pack

Simply put, Bob is a beer lover. He goes out of his way to try new beers whenever he can find them. The love of trying new beers had resulted in a beer label collection of over 1400. When it comes down to it, Bob is a hop head. He loves IPAs (including double and black). Stouts are a close second. His tweet reviews on @nova_beer are simple and approachable. Let him know what you think. Find Bob Pack on Google Plus